1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns an incubator. More specifically, it concerns an incubator comprising a cover provided with nursing openings, in which the cover partly encloses the patient bed rest of the incubator, and in which ventilation air flows in towards the patient bed rest through flow apertures from a chamber in the cover.
In this context, patient bed rest is meant to imply not only the resting base of the patient, but also the space proximate the patient.
2. Description of the Related Art
When treating premature infants, for example, an incubator commonly is used to best ensure that the infant is provided with an accommodation space in which parameters, such as temperature and air humidity, can be maintained at a suitable level for the infant.
During its stay in the incubator, it is of great importance that the patient can be connected to medical equipment while simultaneously maintaining access to the patient for care and treatment without altering said parameters much.
When using incubators of traditional design, the temperature at the patient bed rest has proven to change significantly when opening the nursing openings. This situation is mainly due to the design of the ventilation system within the incubator, the ventilation air being circulated about the longitudinal axis of the patient. Thus, when opening the nursing openings, ambient air will be drawn into one side of the incubator, and incubator air will emanate from the nursing openings at the opposite side of the incubator. Partly significant temperature differences are also known to exist within incubators of this type, this being due to the ventilation air having an unfavourable flow pattern.
WO 99/21526 pertains to an incubator provided with a dome-shaped cover. Ventilation air is supplied to the patient bed rest via influx apertures distributed in an encircling manner around the patient bed rest. Ventilation air flows via an annulus defined by the cover and ring-shaped screen located at the inside of the cover.
Compared to that of conventional incubators, the incubator according to WO 99/21526 exhibits significantly improved temperature accuracy at the patient bed rest, but at some conditions it may exhibit an unintended flow pattern for the ventilation air at the patient bed rest.
The object of the invention is to remedy or reduce at least one of the disadvantages of prior art.